


In Search Of The Butterflies

by TheLastMatch



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Returns, First Love, Love Letters, M/M, Married Life, Past Relationship(s), Steve Rogers Angst, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Superfamily (Marvel), Superhusbands (Marvel), Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Very Secret Diary, no infidelity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 11:13:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7168706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLastMatch/pseuds/TheLastMatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tony finds his husband's past come back to life, he gives Steve one day to live all his wishes of his first love, risking their family, marriage and probably everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Search Of The Butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at fiction and I hope you forgive any faults in language or tone. I'd love to hear any feedback you have!

"Wait! Wait, you grease monkey!" Tony yelled as he ran across the floor, hands outstretched and body a bit crouched, ready to pounce on the slippery little thief.

"Nooooo! You'll never catch me!" the blonde little thief screeched through giggles as she dashed between the brown sofa and the coffee table, almost making the crystal vase crash, "I'm the fastest!"

"Uh-uh? I don't think so!" Tony teased with a mock glare and gave a theatrical evil laugh as he let her slip between his fingers, her makeshift cape fluttering between his skin, "Help! Somebody help me stop that thief!"

"Pew-pew-pew.." a voice, still in the embarrassing cracking teenage years, came from the ceiling and the little thief stilled to look up with wide blue eyes, a soft gasp escaping her mouth, "No fear when Spiderman's here! Here comes your friendly neighbourhood-oof!"

Thor chuckled deeply as the ball bounced off Peter's chest, making his stumble off the ceiling onto the floor in a cat like gesture, before gesturing to the little thief with excited eyes.

"Come, little warrior! Deliver your loot to me!" he boomed and the girl squealed as she dashed past Peter, flying straight into the bulky God's arms.

"I did it! Uncle Thor I did it! Did you see? Did you see?!" the flushed cheeks glowed as the girl laughed in Thor's arms, demanding to be swung around faster.

"Ah-ha! I see how it is," Tony groused dramatically, flopping onto Peter's lanky side with a hand to his chest, "Betrayal! Deceit! Woe unto thee o Caped-thieves! Peter, whatever shall we do? Our screw-driver, our precious screw-driver has been taken!"

The teenager elbowed Tony in the ribs but grinned at the little girl before pawing Tony's t-shirt with over enthusiasm.

"Doomed! We are doomed!" he wailed and Tony snickered into his head when he embraced him and sobbed into his chest.

"Fear not, my padawans! The white knight has arrived to save the day!" a familiar voice came from the elevator and the little girl shrieked with delight, scrambling against Thor's chest to be put down. Thor chuckled but complied, placing her down gently and watching her scramble across the floor as fast as her little legs would carry her.

"Papa! Papa!" she laughed in glee and ran full speed into the legs of the new entrant. Just as she was about to crash into his knee-caps, Steve bent down and swooped her up with a joyous shout, swinging her around twice before bringing her close to his chest and peppering her face with sloppy kisses.

"Ah good, so you finally found something to eat," Natasha observed with a small smile as she came out of the elevator from behind Steve, her eyes tired and hair messy but face relaxed, "Small, sweet and delicious. Perfect for the starters, Steve, gobble her up."

"Hmmm, you think I should?" Steve asked with a thoughtful expression, eyeing the little girl and making eating sounds. 

"No no, you can't," the girl laughed and patted his cheek with her little hands, "You can't eat me. I'm not adi-edo-edub.."

" _Edible_ " Tony whispered as he slowly walked up to Steve with a grin and the girl lit up, nodding her head so hard that her blonde curls flew all over Steve's face.

"Yes, edible! Papa, I'm not edible!" she said seriously, her bright blue eyes wide and confident. Steve bit back a smile at that and Tony rolled his eyes when the Captain made a considering hum.

"Why don't I check that out for myself," he said slowly before pretending to eat the girl's hands and cheeks, making exaggerated chewing sounds that had her squealing in laughter again.

"Urgh, you guys are such dorks," Peter groaned with a super embarrassed looking roll of his eyes and yelped when Tony dragged him by the front of his costume to pretend to eat his hair, "Stop, stop, ew, da-ad!"

"Aww, Petey, you're delicious too," Tony said with sloppy kiss to his son's face that had the teen growing red.

"Ugh! Gross dad!" he said and Steve snorted as the girl in his arms giggled too, "Whatever, come on Sarah, let's go open up another toaster. Papa and dad are gonna be icky now."

"Hey!" Steve exclaimed but ruffled his son's hair nonetheless as Sarah scrambled down and went with him back to the workshop.

"Your son is such a little shit," Tony sighed and smirked when Steve raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really? And your daughter is not learning to become a thief at 4, is she?" he teased back making Tony snort as he pulled his husband by his uniform down for a kiss.

"You taste like a sewer," Tony whispered with a scrunched up nose, right against Steve's lips as they parted. Steve pinched Tony's hip in retaliation before leaning down for a long kiss as revenge.

"Had to give Clint CPR," he answered breathlessly when they parted again and Tony made a disgusted face before shrugging and pecking Steve's nose.

"Makes sense then," he said with a cheeky smirk that had Steve chuckling.

"Hey Nat, where's my-oh ewww! Icky kissing!" Clint whined as he jogged up to the floor, looking filthy and stinking but alive and grossed out.

Tony raised an eyebrow at him at the same time that Steve did, before they turned to each with with a mad glint in their eyes.

"Oh come on!" Clint groaned as Steve dipped Tony and both of them began making out enthusiastically to wolf-whistles from Natasha and deep chuckles from Thor.

When they finally parted, Steve left a lingering peck to Tony's lips and pulled him back up.

"So," he said with a wary but soft smile, "Sarah's taking apart toasters?"

Tony simply grinned up at his husband and pulled him closer by the waist.

"Welcome back home," he said with a cheeky grin that had Steve groaning and chuckling into his husband's shoulder.

*********

Later that night, as Steve slept soundly by his side, face tucked into Tony's neck and arm across Tony's waist, the genius felt a familiar wonderment thinking about how he had landed here. 

If you had asked Tony twelve years ago what was the most precious thing in his life, he would answered saying 'myself'. He had been born into it, the fame, fortune, fallacy and follies. The boy with the silver spoon and the man with the silver tongue, that had been Tony Stark's life for more than 3 decades. He'd had more than he knew what to do with but never enough to fill the spaces empty since the beginning. Fame came with his name, fortune with his father, fallacy with his legacy and follies with his choices. But never, never had family been one of his pillars. He had liked that for a large part, being free and unattached. Being Tony Stark.

Till he had learnt the price of being Tony Stark. Till he had his heart ripped out of him, quite literally, and had been forced to face the ground reality of what he represented. Everybody had thought that Tony Stark had changed after Afghanistan. The truth though, was that Tony Stark had died in there. Who emerged alive out of it, was just Tony, the man his mother had once hoped he would become and not the man his father had shaped him to be. To get a real sense of burying that part of him, he had given birth to a new beginning.

To Iron Man. Strong, courageous, honorable and helpful Iron Man. Who had been recommended to save the world.

Tony Stark would have never made it there.

Being Iron Man had given Tony a purpose to live. He met the Avengers, became a part of a team that saved people every day, and in the process became a hero in himself. He met friends, made them on the basis of being him and not the Stark heir. He fumbled along the social niceties and sensitive networking a lot, quite a lot, and almost lost the Avengers completely a couple of times. After Ultron. During Lagos. After Project Hailstorm. He had almost thrown it all out all those times, never intentionally, but it had been a scratch and miss. Yet, they had survived. And they had grown through it all.

Being Iron man might have made Tony live but meeting Steve Rogers made him understand what living meant. It had been horrible, absolutely horrendous between them at first. It was a case of hate at first sight for them, as Natasha delighted in reminding often when Tony groused about something to her. She was right though, it had been nothing short of a disaster. If Tony was loud, egotistical, rude, futuristic and sneaky, Steve was no less. The man had been rigid, judgemental, monumentally stoic, repressed and honorable to an extent that it almost made Tony gag. They were the violet and red of a VIBGYOR - two ends of a spectrum. They crashed and burned more than they met, to an extent that the other Avengers refused to stay in the Tower to avoid the daily drama.

Tony's 'follies' and Steve's coming up to time hadn't helped in the least.

And then they had gone on a date. With different people, to the same restaurant. Steve had gone with Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter's niece and Tony's almost-cousin. Tony had gone out with Peter's aunt, May Parker. Tony had gone to talk about Peter's scholarship, after having heard about the kid's genius from Pepper. Steve had gone to follow-up on an accidental kiss he had shared with Sharon post a mission.

Both dates had died out like a flickered out candle.

May got shot the next week, in a local gang war and Tony could do nothing to stop the bullet getting lodged in her brain. He had flew after the local thug who had done it when he had heard and had caught him with a vicious sense of revenge. His anger hadn't died out though, even as he had gone back to May's apartment, to check on her 8 year old nephew. He had found Steve there already, in his Captain America uniform, quietly comforting the little boy with murmured promises.

Tony had never felt his anger drain into relief so quick. He had taken many rash decisions in his life but bringing Peter in and taking his responsibility had been worth it. Steve hadn't commented on it, even though Tony had dared him to make a remark as the Avengers' leader. He had simply patted Tony's back and told him that they would all be by his side should he need them.

The late bloom of friendship had found a catalyst in the quiet and reserved but brilliant little boy, who clung to Steve almost as much as Tony. Steve never asked for credit or recognition for being with Peter, or even by extension Tony. Tony was too tired and confused to ask or pester, so he let the good Captain do it.

A year into their friendship, Steve had asked Tony out on a date. Tony had gotten stuck with his work and couldn't make it. Steve ended up bringing Peter to SI and the three of them had a picnic on the roof, under the dark sky. Steve didn't kiss Tony that night and Tony didn't feel all that disappointed. Three months later, Tony cornered Steve in the gym and demanded that he either kiss him and make a move or stop toying around. Tony was quite certain that he had never seen stars out of just kissing till then.

They almost broke up in their second year of dating, with a mess of Red Skull wedging a rift in the Avengers. That had been when Tony and Steve had made friends with the other's best friends. Rhodey made Steve understand the value of today with Tony. Sam made Tony see the value of everyday with Steve. Tony made sure that Sam found his new floor in the Tower cool enough.

It was in their fourth year that they got married. Neither of them proposed, not conventionally at least. They had been in the City Hall on official business, as civilians, and Steve had turned to Tony casually.

"Hey, we have some time till lunch, right?"

"Yeah," Tony had replied with a frown at his phone.

"Wanna get married?" Steve had asked simply, like he was asking Tony out for a drink. 

They had discovered the twin powers of Pepper and Natasha's organizational skills that afternoon. Peter had been the one to give Steve away.

Tony had no shame in admitting that he cried. Maybe the fact that Steve was an uglier crier made him feel better.

The following year, they had saved a baby girl from a Hydra facility. Her mother had been a test patient for some drug and the baby had been abandoned in the damp. Tony had never felt a fiercer attachment to any person than he did to the sleeping blonde bundle he scooped up from the rigged building. Steve had no chance of arguing when she had opened her eyes and given him her first small smile.

They had named her Sarah Maria Stark-Rogers. Natasha had assumed the role of godparent without even waiting for them to ask. Steve hadn't denied her that right and Tony had just told her that he'd never find a more fierce bodyguard for his kids. It was twisted enough for Natasha to understand his approval.

Now, four years into their marriage, Tony wishes he could give the answer to that old question once again. What was the most precious thing in his life? Tony smiled down into the drooling face on his shoulder.

His family. That was Tony's answer. And he was damn sure that it would always be his answer.

********

 **Peek into the next chapter** :

The box crashed onto the floor and Tony sighed at the sheer incapability of his bots to do something without dropping something.

"Wine rack is way too respectable for you," he threatened Dum-E but the bot simply chirped cheekily and rolled away to drag another box. Resigning himself to check for any broken valuables, he bent down and righted the box. The brown diary that fell out first caught his attention and he raised an eyebrow curiously, picking it up and running a hand over it's vintage cover.

"Hmmm, a secret, secret diary?" he asked to himself and turned it over in his hands, "What do you say, Fry? Wanna learn some embarrassing details about Cappy-pie?"

"The glory or doom shall be yours, boss," the AI replied drolly and Tony snorted but carefully opened the book anyway.

A picture of a handsome young soldier looked back at him. Tony didn't have to think a lot to recognize who it was.

"Sergeant Barnes," he whistled even as he felt an uneasy prickle go down his spine.

**Author's Note:**

> No, Steve is not going to be a cheater. Yes, there will be angst. Yes, I'd really like reviews!


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